Updated: November 12, 2020 10:57:14 am
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Union government to provide 1,092 beds, including 300 ICU beds, to help the capital address the rise in coronavirus cases. (File photo)
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Union government to provide 1,092 beds, including 300 ICU beds, to help the capital address the rise in coronavirus cases, which are projected to rise to nearly 12,000 per day. at the end of November.
In a letter to the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Kejriwal, citing the report of a group of experts, said that the city will require 20,604 beds to deal with the situation in which the hospitals dependent on the Center and the state will have you increase your capacity.
“Empowered Group Report-III-1 covering… September-November 2020 has projected the worst-case scenario of approximately 11,909 cases per day in Delhi in late November / early December 2020 for which a capacity of 20,604 is required Covid beds to stay prepared, ”Kejriwal wrote.
The CM said that Delhi currently has a total bed capacity of 15,713 for Covid patients. The figure includes ICU and non-ICU beds in central government hospitals “which have been of great help to overcome the first and second waves during the months of June and September 2020, respectively,” he added.
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A committee from the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) warned in October that Delhi must be prepared to handle up to 15,000 cases per day during winter due to pollution, festive gatherings and weddings. The NCDC’s comments were also mentioned in the CM letter.
“The deficit of around 4,900 beds, according to the projection of Report III of the Empowered Group, should be covered with an increase in the hospitals of the central government and the state government, in addition to taking advantage of the capacities of the private sector.
“The further increase in NIV (non-invasive ventilator) beds for Covid patients is critical in the current context and also the key to containing any increase in mortality in the future. According to information obtained from different central government hospitals in Delhi, it has been observed that central government hospitals have proposed an increase in capacity of around 1,092 beds, ”Kejriwal wrote to Vardhan on 7 November.
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He also pointed out that the increase in bed capacity should be complemented by the deployment of additional health personnel. “This issue has already been addressed by the Chief Secretary of Delhi with the Union Health Secretary,” he said.
“I request that you issue the necessary instructions to the concerned authorities to ensure that the above steps to provide at least 1,092 additional beds, including 300 ICU beds, with manpower, are taken as a priority…” Kejriwal added.
On Sunday, Delhi recorded 7,830 cases in the highest one-day peak, a positivity rate of 13.26 percent and 83 deaths. The total number of cases amounts to 4.51,382, of which 41,385 are active.
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